To tell you the truth, I don't give a (hoot) either way.

Homosexuals are people too; we might as well give them their rights.

(Edit: Damn forum filter.)

I sense a giant debate coming. One of which only Clark and a few others will be able to comprehend.

Juggernaut wrote: Freedom of Speech is the most overused law suit I've ever heard.   I'll read the article now.   I just hate people playing the Freedom of Speech card, its almost as bad as the race card.

I agree. Close to everybody that uses it uses it in a different way than that of our founding fathers meant when writing the declaration of independence.

\/ \/ why thank you :)

Since I apparently suck at linking, I'll cut 'n paste.  My apologies for long post:

Evangelists lose ruling in protest at Outfest

A judge refused to throw out the charges. Hearings for 10 of the 11 are scheduled Tuesday.

By Joseph A. Slobodzian

Inquirer Staff Writer

A federal judge yesterday refused to block the local prosecution of 11 Christian evangelists arrested Oct. 10 in a confrontation at the "Outfest" **edited**-pride block party in Center City.

U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker denied in a one-paragraph order the injunction requested last Friday by the American Family Association, a Mississippi-based conservative Christian "family values" group that is defending the 11.

American Family Association attorney Brian Fahling said he would file an emergency appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to reverse Tucker's ruling and block the prosecutions.

Preliminary hearings for 10 of those arrested are set for Tuesday in Philadelphia Municipal Court. A separate hearing for a juvenile arrested was set for today, but Fahling said it had been postponed.

Last Friday, Fahling argued that the arrests and prosecution of Repent America director Michael Marcavage and his fellow protesters violated their free-speech rights.

Members of the group were arrested on charges including criminal conspiracy, rioting and ethnic intimidation after a loud, heated confrontation with a group of "Pink Angels" at the Outfest.

Lawyers for the city and District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham argued that Tucker should follow the U.S. Supreme Court's 1971 "Younger doctrine," which tells federal judges not to intervene in state court criminal cases unless there is compelling evidence that the prosecution was brought in bad faith or for purposes of harassment.

Fahling said a video of the Oct. 10 confrontation showed Marcavage speaking through a bullhorn while he and his supporters were being shouted down by irate **edited** activists.

City officials said the video did not show the start of the confrontation, when they said Marcavage tried to interrupt a performance with his anti**edited** preaching and then disobeyed a police order to move to the perimeter of the Outfest to avoid the potential for violence.

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(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) A preliminary hearing will begin Tuesday for 11 evangelists arrested after a confrontation at a **edited** festival.

Repent America director Michael Marcavage and 10 followers were charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting and ethnic intimidation after they attempted to break up the October 10 Outfest **edited** pride block party in Center City.

A motion to block the prosecution was rejected by U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker.

Repent America is represented by the  Mississippi-based American Family Association which is involved in a number of cases across the country opposing **edited** rights. 

AFA attorney Brian Fahling called the arrests "harassment" of Christians and said that the charges violated the protesters' freedom of speech.

Judge Tucker in a single sentence ruling rejected the argument.

The confrontation began when the 11 protestors marched to the front of a stage at Outfest and began to yell out Biblical passages to drown out the events on stage.

Police attempted to get the protestors to move to to an area on the edge of the site.  Instead they went deeper into the **edited** crowd.  Using a bullhorn they condemned homosexuality.  They then got into an argument with a group of Pink Angels, who screamed back.

It was at that point police intervened arresting the 11.

"They were not prohibited from preaching," said Karen Brancheau, a lawyer for the District Attorney's Office. "A reasonable request was made to prevent a situation from becoming dangerous to their own safety as well as the safety of the participants."

The "ethnic intimidation" charge caught my attention.  I haven't found any news article listing specifics, but I am guessing that this is the statute:

§ 2710. Ethnic intimidation

(a) Offense defined. - A person commits the offense of ethnic intimidation if, with malicious intention toward the race, color, religion or national origin of another individual or group of individuals, he commits an offense under any other provision of this article or under Chapter 33 (relating to arson, criminal mischief and other property destruction) exclusive of section 3307 (relating to institutional vandalism) or under section 3503 (relating to criminal trespass) or under section 3504 (relating to harassment by communication or address) with respect to such individual or his or her property or with respect to one or more members of such group or to their property.

Nothing about homosexuality there.  So presumably somebody is at least alledging some racial issue as well, or arguing that this fits into the "religion" part.  Who knows.  We just don't have enough information.

But, as pointed out above, freedom to speak does not equate to freedom to speak anywhere you want.  The Klan is welcome to host a rally - just not in the middle of a NAACP rally.

Ok, If the article is 100% accurate, I agree that the people should have the feedom of speech to do what they were doing. Do I agree with what they were doing? No, But the people singing the hyms and protesting have just as much of a right to be there as the homosexuals do.

But.

With charges such as ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy and inciting a riot on the table, I get the feeling there is more to this story that what we are being told.